How to Reduce Hormone Levels

Elevated levels of the hormone estrogen have been linked to endometrial, ovarian and breast cancer. However, most modern variants of hormone replacement therapies entail dangerous side effects that many women would like to avoid. For women interested in more natural methods of controlling their hormone levels, this article lists four easy diet and lifestyle changes that will result in a measurable decrease in hormone levels. However, before enacting any of these changes, be sure to consult your physician.

Instructions

• 1

  Add Seaweed to your diet. A new study at the University of California has found that brown kelp seaweed can reduce the risk of estrogen-associated diseases such as breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer. Brown kelp seaweed makes up more than 10 percent of the Japanese diet which scientist think is largely responsible for their remarkably low cancer rates.

• 2

  Exercise. According to a study by the University of Illinois, moderate levels of aerobic exercise can stabilize estrogen levels in premenopausal women. Furthermore, exercise reduces fat cells, the storage units for excess estrogen. Building lean muscle and reducing fat is an efficient way to purge the body of excess estrogen and to inhibit the body's ability to store it.

• 3

  Decrease your fat intake. According to a study by the National Cancer Institute, if a woman cuts her fat intake in half, her estrogen levels will drop by twenty percent. Further cuts in fat intake will further reduce estrogen levels.

• 4

  Increase your intake of high fiber foods. When in the intestinal tract, high-fiber foods act like sponges which soak up toxins and hormones. They flush them out of the body. Estrogen is removed from the bloodstream by the liver and deposited into the intestinal tract. A high-fiber diet encourages the elimination of this estrogen and prevents the fat cells from storing it.

• 5

  Decrease your meat intake. Many commercially grown animals in the United States are treated with artificial sex hormones to stimulate their growth. Unfortunately, these hormones remain in the animal and end up on your plate. Recent studies by the National Cancer Institute have linked the consumption of artificial estrogen to increased risk for breast cancer. And in response to this study, the European Union has banned hormone-treated American meat.